Comes Full Circle
by Ms.Adventure
Summary: What might  and should  have been happening between the scenes. Kelly/Annabelle
1. Supergrass

Title: Comes Full Circle

Rating: M for safety

_Disclaimer: Don't own any of this._

_Note - Just my spin on what should've been happening between Kelly/Annabelle throughout St. Trinians.  
_

**Supergrass**

Annabelle stumbled down the corridor. She'd overslept and was late for her morning calisthenics class. Which, at St. Trinian's, consisted of combining all the most lethal facets of Judo and Jin Jitsu with the spiritual philosophy of a disgruntled postal employee. Most mornings Fritton enjoyed it. But this morning she was exhausted, foggy, and felt like one turn too quick would make her drop to her knees and retch. _I am never, ever drinking whiskey again. _She groaned, remembering the way her auntie kept topping up her glass. Granted, she'd needed a stiff drink after knocking out the school headmistress (family or not). The old bird sure could take a punch. This morning Annabelle's stomach had converted extremely good scotch into horribly noxious vapors that kept fighting to come up. She felt dizzy every time she hiccoughed.

Weaving down the corridor Annabelle looked up, realizing she was lost. Again. These damn wings spider split in every direction. One wrong turn last week had landed her in the goth - wait _Emo -_ apothecary. _So where the hell am I now? _She pushed through the doors and found an abandoned class room. The chalkboard was full of a lesson plan, one which wasn't part of even St. Trinian's curriculum.

There was a smell lingering in the air, one Fritton knew but couldn't place. Annabelle stared at the white gashes, her spinning head concentrating on getting the letters to hold still. _Fraud? Kidnapping? Theft? What the hell? _

Her reeling head slammed to a halt, leaving her mouth hanging open and gasping for air as she faced the reality. The poster of Vermeer's painting exhibit had been tacked onto the board with a huge red circle. Were they bloody serious? Who would even think of such a thing?

She knew. She'd known the moment she walked in the door and smelled that fragrance but her brain was still fighting to get signals through the whiskey fumes. It was perfume. Mind you, all the Posh Totties wore the most expensive fragrances their boyfriends could afford. This one was different, it was a smell that made Annabelle want to take a deep, luxurious breath but also made her spine tighten up like she was being electrocuted. She'd smelled it her first day at the school and had never quite managed to chase the scent from her dreams.

_Kelly. Kelly bloody Jones._ Annabelle spun on her heels and darted from the room, suddenly sure of not only where she was but exactly where she needed to be. The Head Girl was planning to steal art. She'd lost her mind and Annabelle was probably the only one that could stop her. She had to get to the Headmistress' office.

Did none of them realize? God. She'd grown up around the art industry. She'd spent 17 years listening to her dad broker barely legal deals and from it had learned exactly how close you could get to the wrong side of the law before crossing over. She'd heard, read and seen (involuntarily) every news story there ever was on stolen artwork. These idiot girls had no idea what they were messing with. Art collectors and museum curators made Javert look lazy. Their pursuit of justice was fanatical.

She spun around the pillared staircase, grabbing the edge to slingshot herself towards her Aunt's office. The door was cracked open. She could hear voices. _Good, Auntie's in._

"You mustn't let them -!" she burst through the door and stopped short, confronted with an audience of her school mates. Polly and Taylor both jumped in surprise. Chelsea just looked blond and confused as ever. The twins glared up at her with threat in their eyes. Andrea was too busy with thoughts of the netherworld to notice the disruption. And Kelly. The raven haired head girl was staring straight at her, one eyebrow cocked ever so slightly in challenge.

"Mustn't what, girlie? We were just discussing a possible field trip that they say the girls would all like to take." Miss Fritton looked in surprise at her niece.

"Field trip. Right," Annabelle straightened up and strode more firmly into the room, "Let me guess. To the National Gallery?"

"Why yes - had you lot been discussing it?" the older woman was being deliberately clueless, pretending not to notice the nervous looks being exchanged by all the girls before her. Or the way Jones was trying to kill Annabelle with her eyes. In her eight years at the school Kelly Jones had cajoled, flattered, threatened, favored, bribed and seduced her way through the student body (sometimes literally). Camilla Fritton had seen the Head Girl break every single one of her peers in some way. Was her mousy niece really going to take her on?

Annabelle met Kelly's gaze as she walked to her aunt's side of the desk. She could read the threat plain as day - it involved lots of humiliation and pain for whatever remaining time she might have at this school. The pranks on her first night were nothing compared to what they could do to her. The younger Fritton felt her resolve crack a little. She'd make enemies of the whole school in a single moment, never mind an enemy out of the one girl she'd desperately like to impress. _She might hate me forever, but she'll be around to do it in person. Not a single one of them is even thinking about that._

"Miss Fritton," Annabelle squared her shoulders and glared right back at every girl in their turn, "They're planning to steal 'The Girl With the Pearl Earring' and flog it for the money St. Trinian's owes."

The words were her own death sentence. Nothing was hated more than a snitch. Annabelle couldn't even hear the Headmistress' response over the screaming anger in Jones' eyes. The complex black color flashed with anger, betrayal and disappointment all swirled together into a cocktail that was making Annabelle sick to her stomach. _Fine. Whatever. I might've just saved her whole bloody future by sacrificing mine._

It was the moment of sadness that broke her. When all the girls heard that Miss Fritton wouldn't let them risk all to save her and the school there was a silent second of heartbreak in each and every one of them. Annabelle could take the hate. She couldn't take that pain. As they started to leave she spoke up. Nothing was ever completely lost.

She was impressed by how quickly Polly caught onto the idea of the Mona Lisa scam. She smiled faintly at her Aunt's praise and let herself get lost in her own St. Trinian spirit, giving them the perfect pigeon. After the others filed out (with Kelly giving her one arched eyebrow of faint approval) she waited a few moments before following, listening to all the retreating footsteps to be sure the corridor was safe. It was a long shot that this would get her back into everyone's good graces. She'd given them a plan, it was doable. More importantly, it was safe.

She made it about five steps down the corridor when she felt herself seized from behind. Her wrist was twisted forcefully behind her back as an arm came around her throat, putting her in a secure choke hold. She was pulled hard back against a taller form. She instinctively fought for a moment before relaxing into the grip that she had known instantly. The fight was really just for show. She could smell the perfume. She could see the snake tattoo on the arm around her neck. She could feel her captor's chest pressed against her back and Annabelle started to melt into the warm rhythm of her breathing before she snapped herself back into the moment. Now was not the time for surrender - tempting as it may be.

"Congratulations, Fritton," Kelly's mellow tone flowed with the breath on her ear, "You've managed to completely piss me off and then redeem yourself in less than two minutes. Any words for the academy?"

"I didn't know it was such an offense around here to care. Next time I'll be sure not to give a damn!" Annabelle snapped and shoved her other elbow back hard. Her twisted arm protesting in her shoulder socket was overruled by the satisfaction of hearing Kelly grunt at the hard contact with her stomach. That judo was starting to come in handy and Annabelle broke the hold around her neck, spinning away and facing Jones. She ignored the voice in the back of her mind that wished she'd stayed pressed up against the other girl's marvelous body.

"Why, Miss Fritton, are you angry with me?" Kelly marveled at the transformation, "You didn't even swear at us after the shower stunt."

"Because this is more serious than just a prank, Jones. This isn't like stealing Cheltenham's mascot last term. Yes, I was there for that, it was good work but this is different!"

"Enlighten me, luv." Kelly gamely leaned against the wall. Did she know that her most casual, natural pose channeled the spirit of a midnight hooker?

"Who's the oldest girl in this caper?"

"Me."

"Any of the others 18 yet?"

"No. Polly's still 2 months off."

"Don't you get it? You're the only one at risk! Everyone else, Chels, Taylor, the twins - all underage. They'll do a bit in detention with nothing on their record but you -Kelly, you'll do the full stretch. With something this big you're looking at 7 years. Minimum. It doesn't even matter if you get away with it now! They won't stop looking. As long as that painting is gone they will work the case, whether it takes 5 years or 50! And when they figure it out, you're _still_ the only one going down for it. Is anyone else thinking about that? Or are they all being bloody selfish cows?"

The truthful words had grown steadily louder until Annabelle was shouting at the Head Girl. Kelly straightened up under the reproachful onslaught, masking her surprise in a few quick blinks. Every sentence had unconsciously drawn the younger girl closer, step by step, and they stood nose to nose. The moments of silence felt eternal as both of them realized they hadn't been this close since the first day they met and they were in almost the exact same place, same position.

Annabelle's mind was fogged with her first ever hangover and now the nearly enveloping scent of Kelly's perfume and skin. The loudest thought in her head (besides wondering what would happen if she pressed forward the last half inch to touch those plush, perfectly colored lips) was to marvel she'd ever been afraid of Verity Thwaites. Seriously, a garden variety jock whose repertoire was limited to clumsy physical and verbal assaults? She'd never known real fear until she stood staring into the fathomless black of Kelly Jones' eyes, waiting for her to speak.

She would've been shocked to know that beneath her completely blasé exterior the Head Girl was just as shaken. Kelly's vision was filled with huge, hazel eyes. So familiar. There was that same hint of condescension in the swirling flashes of green and gold. That touch of superiority that had so intrigued Jones. There was something more though. Something soft, sincere . . . intimate. It was in Annabelle's eyes; in her words, however loud and angry. Kelly felt a frisson of shock electrify her skin.

_She cares. Maybe more than all the rest of them put together._

She swallowed quickly before a gasp of surprise could escape. Now she had a choice to make. How to react? One little voice in the back of her mind (that had been there on the first day too) wondered what would happen if she just threw the smaller girl up against the wall and kissed her 'til they were both bruised. Not an option right now, of course. So - expose what Annabelle's own words had revealed and call her out on it? Or, ignore it completely and pretend nothing happened? Or, better yet . . .

"Spend a lot of time thinking about my future do you?" Kelly teased easily, artfully defusing the awkward emotional charge to the conversation. But she could come back to it at her leisure. She sure as hell wasn't going to let this pretty little revelation slip away. Or the mental image of a breathless Annabelle Fritton pinned to the wall. _Damn teenage hormones._

"I just don't want the Trinian girls' 20th reunion to be us all busting you out of the nick." Annabelle shook her head with a scoff and backed away. Kelly felt immediate longing on the naked skin of her face, missing the warmth of the other girls' breath.

"There's no denying you're St. Trinian's now, Fritton. In for a penny . . ." Jones smirked.

The other girl answered with her own faint smile and shrug. She was back in Kelly's good graces, she was sure of it. There had even been a split second where she'd wondered if it was almost more. Regardless, she could feel the affection in Jones' lingering, bemused gaze and it was enough.

"In for a pound," She agreed and turned to leave, pausing only briefly to speak over her shoulder, "So hadn't you better drop the 'Fritton?'"

Kelly just chuckled, watching the retreating figure. There was a definite swagger to the girl's walk that hadn't been there when she first arrived. She was one of them now - no fear. She'd had balls from day one; facing down a girl taller, older and more experienced than herself. Kelly Jones knew herself well enough to admit she'd liked that. Now she was wondering just how brave Fritton might be.

"You know, Kel," a perky voice broke her musing, "I don't think I've ever seen that smile on you."

She hadn't realized she was smiling (or what kind of smile it might be) and quickly shifted back to her trademark look. It had taken a few years to refine - getting the perfect balance of sexuality, intelligence, confidence and apathy - but it was worth it. Her expression could fluster a statue. On full force, one look from Kelly Jones leveled a whole room.

"Chels, where'd you come from?" Kelly looked up and saw Chelsea on the landing of the stairs.

"I was on the balcony, thought I'd watch to be sure you didn't rip her skin to shreds. Guess I shouldn't have been worried about that," Chelsea came down the rest of the steps, "You were far closer to tearing her clothes off."

Kelly rolled her eyes. She usually didn't have any problems with the Posh Totty - besides a fundamental dislike for their trade. A few years ago she'd realized that Chels labored under the misconception you could be either beautiful _or_ brainy and had made a life choice accordingly. So long as you never forgot that under the vapid blonde aura a bit of a mind still ticked, you never got caught unawares. Men could never seem to get a handle on that, which was why the Posh girl never had a problem getting what she wanted.

"Well, it'd be a favor. They're a bit hideous." Kelly demurred.

"I'll be sure to get her into something more to your taste," Chelsea circled behind Jones and paused right by her ear, "Soon."

"Leave off, Chels. No ways is she letting your slags make her over." Kelly rolled her shoulder, pushing the other girl to a better distance. The blonde took the hint and strolled back round to face her. Jones didn't like people in her personal space, not without an invitation.

"Maybe not tonight," Chelsea pouted, "But soon. She's one of us now, Kel. Said so yourself. Don't keep her out just cause _you_'_re _scared."

"Chels, you're talking rot." Kelly started to walk away from the ridiculous assertion.

"You're keeping Fritton at arm's length cause you're scared you won't be able to keep your hands off her." Chelsea's smile turned smug as she saw Jones stop dead in her tracks and slowly turn. The dark haired girl's eyes were glinting dangerously. She'd forgotten about Chelsea's brain. For a brief moment she'd let herself think the Posh was as self-absorbed and clueless as she always pretended. Now she had to do damage control.

"You don't know what you're talking about, Chelsea. Jog on." the older girl ordered, her voice steady and firm.

"Or what?" the blonde pouted. If this had been a pub, now's the time the music would stop and people should dive for cover beneath tables.

It was at this point that Headmistress Fritton decided to intervene.(She'd been watching through the cracked office door from the moment she'd heard her lolly, lolly niece yelling. Watching the two go toe to toe was damned exciting. After all, her blood had just proven herself. She'd been sure the child would square off against Jones at some point. Too bad she hadn't voiced the prediction, she could've made a packet on a flutter.)

"Miss Jones," she strode into the corridor, a mask of indifference to the scene she was interrupting, "Tell the driver to prepare the bus. I'll have Miss Dickinson escort your field trip this afternoon."

"Thank you, Miss." Jones had snapped immediately to attention, the former conversation and its attending irritation completely erased from her face. Chelsea wasn't so good at switching gears that fast, she stood gaping for a few extra moments after Kelly had already strode away. One meaningful glance at the aspiring escort sent her scurrying off as fast as her 4 inch heels let her. Camilla Fritton returned to her office and poured a whiskey,smiling as she thought of the way Annabelle had vented her rightful angers. The girl was nothing if not passionate.

The Headmistress mused that she should go find Matron soon. She could surely get 3 to 1 on Annabelle getting a new look before the week was over. Definitely 25 (possibly as high as 50) to 1 that she ended up shagging the Head Girl. Most of the girls would never risk a gamble on 50 to 1. But Camilla knew, based on what she'd witnessed, it was a sure thing.


	2. Very Very Gay

_**Very Very Gay**_

"_He's also very, very gay." Annabelle's final comment might almost have been an after thought. Except Kelly saw the way she leaned forward to emphasize the point, turning the word into a dagger. Flash cringed and let out a frustrated groan but it was too late to back down. He mumbled some final words and skulked away before either girl could make any further comment. Once Kelly heard the door to the roof slam she gave into the laughter that had been choking in her throat. Annabelle echoed her, both of them collapsing against each other's sides._

"_You really have a cruel streak, don't you?" Kelly gasped for air and wiped at her eyes, clearing any eyeliner that might've smudged._

"_If he'd just agreed right off I never would've told him but he was being stubborn." Fritton defended herself. She'd felt a spike of fury at the way Flash had just folded like a tissue as soon as Kelly's voice arrived on the roof. It was amazing he didn't just slip in his own puddle of drool. Annabelle couldn't blame him for being in love with Kelly but she sure as hell didn't have to put up with watching him shag her with his eyes._

"_Fair enough. I usually just sick the Totties on him when I'm pissed. He can't last four minutes before he has to bolt. Bit of a short fuse on him, if you get my drift." Kelly bumped her shoulder meaningfully and Annabelle's face colored a hint. Not beet red - not like it would've a few days ago. _

"_Why do you put up with it? Surely there're other fences you could use. Someone that isn't always trying to get in the girls' knickers."_

"_That's just it. We have Flash right where we like him," She waggled her little finger, "Someone who wasn't here in the desperate hope of sex wouldn't dare half what he tries."_

_Annabelle nodded, accepting the explanation. They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes, watching the girls out in the fields below. The roof was the best place to be when the twins were practicing with explosives. Kelly watched Fritton out of the corner of her eye. She carried herself differently these days, she was finally comfortable in her own skin. It was like watching metal shape before her eyes, the way the girl got stronger every day. It wasn't just the Fritton stripe. Kelly grew more certain every day that this was the real Annabelle, one that had always existed but had somehow almost been erased. _

_She'd started wondering about it the day of the match against Cheltenham. The way Annabelle's tone had dripped with acidic hate on her words 'I used to eat people.' The distaste and irritation had been a hint of the real girl but it'd been swallowed up so fast in fear and embarrassment. Kelly could tell that school had nearly broken her. She was dying to know what had happened. Who she could punish._

"_My turn for a quiz," she broke the silence and Annabelle turned to face her, "Don't you mind us stealing your dad's money? Half a bar is a lot and otherwise it would end up yours."_

"_Please. Daddy has more than enough, this scam is going to hurt his pride more than his pocketbook. Besides, odds are he'll lose every cent long before I have a chance to inherit so it's better at least this much is put to good use. Plus," Annabelle gazed into the middle distance for a moment, "I think this place makes for a much better legacy."_

"_That does it. Now you're going to have to be Headmistress one day."_

"_Not the worst fate. Not right off, of course. There's too much to do in the world. But someday. I can think of worse things than spending my life here." _

_Kelly openly stared. She really meant it. There wasn't a trace of mockery or sarcasm in her tone. She was looking out over the grounds with genuine affection. This was where she belonged. She looked so perfectly at home that Kelly suddenly had trouble imagining what the school would be like without her. How had she ever gone anywhere else?_

"_I can't believe you wasted all that time at Cheltenham." she shook her head. It was a pity anyone had to suffer through that school but putting Annabelle there should've been a crime._

"_I'm just glad I got away." she smiled._

"_How did you?" Kelly couldn't stop the question, even though she saw her companion tense up, "What happened there?"_

_The words had been rattling in her head so much that she just couldn't stop them spilling out. She might've made her interest sound distant and clinical, but inside she was nearly frothing with curiosity._

"_It's a bit of a complicated story." Annabelle sighed but didn't try to look away._

"_Just the kind I like." Kelly leaned back, getting comfortable. She didn't get to hear it though, because the alert had gone off. Black Eagle!_ The shouts came from all over the grounds and everyone was running in.

Both girls leapt to their feet, spotting the approaching vehicles.

"Damn. Looks like a press van!" Kelly groaned and raced from the roof.

"Just Thwaites' style." Annabelle grumbled as she followed. They'd had drills along these lines - she hadn't fully understood why until this moment.

"You get the west wing, yeah?" Kelly ordered as they bolted down the stairs. 

"Got it!" they split at the ground floor and headed opposite directions.

"Regroup in the plan room!" Jones' final shout followed her down the corridor.


	3. Bully

**Bully**

Kelly stood with her ear pressed to the door, listening desperately to the conversation on the other side. They hadn't expected Thwaites to come this way. She hadn't seen Annabelle open the door; only registered the sudden, gasping silence as all the girls in the room realized the _new girl_ was going out to face the dogs. Kelly had tried to stop her but the door closed too soon, leaving her to slam her body against the wood and pray.

"Knock off, you lot!" Kelly hissed over her shoulder at the girls still panicking in the corners. They were making it hard to hear!

She listened, rapt, as Fritton told Minister of Education Thwaites his daughter was a bully. If anyone had ever doubted her strength before, this would set the record straight. _Favorite victim._ So that was what happened to Annabelle. Kelly's jaw clenched tight, teeth grinding as she suppressed the furious desire to burst out and deck the bastard father of such a right proper bitch.

When the booming voice of Headmistress Fritton pulled the press pack away Kelly leaned back from the door. A hand gently touched her wrist, and she glanced over her shoulder, seeing Taylor looking up at her intensely. The Chav didn't speak immediately, just cocked an eyebrow down at the Head Girl's hands. Kelly hadn't even realized she'd clenched her fists so tight. She opened her fingers, letting blood come back into the white knuckles.

"Turns out little Fritton's a good geezer, ya? Who'd have thought?" Taylor commented, deliberately ignoring the symptoms of the other girl's distress. Kelly was grateful for the rude girl's rare show of sensitivity.

"We should've," Kelly shot back, "She's St. Trinian - through and through."

"Then it's time we made her one of us, innit." Taylor grinned. Had she been talking to Chelsea? Kelly shook off the suspicion and just nodded, a smile slowly spreading across her perfectly painted lips. Yes, time Annabelle was properly brought into the fold. She just prayed the Posh Totties didn't put her in lingerie. She wasn't sure her shot nerves and ecstatic hormones could handle that.


	4. Makeover

**Makeover**

Kelly had watched all the girls take their turn at Annabelle. Some of the looks, like First Year, had been surprisingly adorable. The makeovers by the Chavs and Totties had left her mouth feeling like it was full of cotton and she instantly knew she didn't want anyone else ever seeing Annabelle like that. Ever.

Chelsea had approached her during the photo shoot and innocently asked her opinion. At that same moment Annabelle was throwing her head back, hair cascading down her back as her throat arched perfectly in laughter.

"-" Kelly's mouth moved but she couldn't even force out the sounds for a swear.

Chels had just giggled happily, pleased with her victory. Thank God Annabelle didn't stick with the pose. She could play sex kitten convincingly (almost too convincingly, for Kelly's taste) for a moment but would lose the sultry aura in a self-conscious laugh. Rampant sexuality wasn't the look for her. Kelly had rather liked the Geek look - something about the almost authoritarian air had made her breathing hitch. It appealed to some dormant S&M part of her personality. _Yes, Miss Fritton. No Miss Fritton, don't spank me. _The emos did well too. Kelly didn't usually care for goth or scary but _Damn!_ her eyes looked fabulous in that makeup.

It was Celia that really pulled it all together. She somehow pieced together the sensuality of Posh Totty, the rawness of the Emos, the attitude of the Chavs, added a hint of wildness from the First Years and toned it with Geek smartness to create a look that unleashed Annabelle Fritton in all her glory. Taking Kelly's breath away was a side effect.

"Right," Kelly rose from her seat once it was clear the new girl had settled on a look, "That just leaves us with what we call you."

"Lolly!" Tania and Tara volunteered the nickname Headmistress Fritton used on her niece. The first years all took it up as a shout.

"No, Anna!" the Chavs and Totties both declared over the noise.

"No!" Annabelle instantly refused, then blushed a little before explaining, "That's what my dad is always calling me."

In the prevailing silence after that caveat Kelly circled Fritton, making a show of scrutinizing her from every angle. She finally paused in front of her, one hand on her hip, and slowly smiled. Everyone held their breath.

"That's it then. You're Belle." she declared with an inarguable finality. The raucous cheering that accompanied the announcement was nothing compared to Belle's own warm smile of pleasure.

"So, how'd you feel?" Kelly locked her eyes with the transformed girl (the only way to keep them from raking over her body head to toe).

"Like St. Trinian." Belle braced her hands on her hips and managed to hold the seductive pose for a few moments before giving into the glee surrounding her.

The music and dancing was inevitable. Trinian girls celebrated everything with a party. Kelly danced back to back with Belle, both of them smiling and laughing with each other. The last barrier was broken and neither worried about the possible repercussions of dancing closer and closer together. They were mates now. Kelly only briefly noted Chelsea and Taylor off in one corner, both watching them and exchanging satisfied smiles.

By 2 in the morning Kelly asserted her Head Girl status and closed everything down. The coming day was important, after all. There were bitter murmurs and vague challenges but every girl (that hadn't already passed out) climbed gratefully into bed. She went to Belle's bed, kneeling for a moment beside the resting figure to whisper close in her ear.

"You're one of us now, Belle. Anything you need, just ask." she murmured and gave her hand a friendly squeeze. She couldn't make sense of the wide eyed expression that had stared back up at her so she simply walked away.

Laying in her own bed, Kelly wished her spinning brain would slow down or shut up and let her sleep. Her thoughts raced endlessly, the coming heist twisting and writhing around the images of Belle that she couldn't get out of her head. Smothering her face under the pillow only made it easier to hear her own thudding heartbeat. She couldn't figure out if the staccato rhythm was anxiety or desire. The one just kept feeding the other. She'd focus on their plot to keep her mind off Belle, but then she'd begin to worry so she'd let her mind fade back to the beauty as a distraction. Either way, she couldn't manage a deep breath.

Swearing angrily she flung the bedclothes off and got up, searching for a bottle of liquid relief. One good drink would knock her out. She was on her knees in her closet when she heard the footsteps. You don't get to be Head Girl without developing hyper vigilant senses for potential attacks. She silently got to her feet, listening as the steps got as close as possible then simply stopped. Right on the other side of her door. Not a prank then. Kelly sighed and went to the door, able to clearly hear the breathing on the other side.

"I can hear you, you know." she spoke, just loud enough that the other person would only hear if their ear was also pressed to the door. As the door knob twisted Kelly stepped back, arms crossed in suspicion.

"Sorry, I didn't want to wake you." Belle muttered as she walked in, not raising her eyes to the other girl's face. Jones immediately dropped her stance, reaching to close the door and take Belle's hands, pulling her further into the room.

"I wasn't sleeping. Is everything alright, luv?" she sat on the bed, pulling Fritton down beside her.

"No, nothing's wrong. I just - I couldn't get to sleep. Thought I'd see if you were up too." Belle's smile was shy, careful to conceal her overwhelming pleasure that the Head Girl was indeed still awake.

Kelly was silent for a moment, her face thoughtful. She should've actually been thinking but she was really just looking at Annabelle. The curled hair framed her face so beautifully and she was in her night dress, a piece of clothing so ridiculously innocent it became enticing. How could such an angelic face smolder like the fall of saints?

"You promised me a story earlier, how about now?" Kelly laid back on her pillow.

"You mean Cheltenham?"

"Unless you have one better." Kelly shrugged and pulled Belle down so she lay beside her, both of them on their backs and desperately trying to stare at the ceiling instead of each other.

"Verity Thwaites. She hated me. Really, epic, biblical hate - that was Verity's level."

"Why you?" Kelly kept her voice even, despite the trembling in her muscles as she conjured the image of the stupid blonde. She wished that ball had hit her a lot harder on the hockey pitch.

"I was one of three girls with better grades than her. For years that was enough to make us all targets. But last term it got a lot worse." Belle paused, sudden doubt gnawing at her stomach. This was an awful lot to talk about.

"What happened?" Kelly sensed the hesitation and rolled to her side, facing Fritton's profile and resting one comforting arm across her body. Belle let out the breath she didn't realize she'd held. She had trouble making sure it didn't sound like a gasp. She was in bed with Kelly Jones and the head girl had just wrapped an arm around her waist. She'd recount every sin of her short 17 years (hell, she'd invent some!) so long as she could stay in that embrace. She waited until she felt her voice could be steady before speaking.

"Verity fancied a girl. Unfortunately, that girl wasn't interested in her. In fact, she rather fancied me instead."

"I had no idea Cheltenham was such a hotbed of lesbianism." Kelly chuckled, trying not to think too much about any other girl being after Belle.

"Oh please. Repression and overachievement are just flip sides of a coin." the younger girl laughed.

"So what happened?"

"Most of the girls didn't know the trouble. Verity started picking me as a favorite target and they just all assumed I deserved it. Everything I owned was either stolen or vandalized. My food got poisoned a few times. That was the worst of it until," Belle shivered involuntarily and Kelly pulled her closer, "The girl asked me out. In front of the whole hockey team. With Verity standing right there."

"What did you do?"

"I bolted," she confessed, "I turned and ran as fast as I could. But Verity is faster than me. She caught me up and I wouldn't have fought but she had her hands on my throat. I really thought she was going to kill me. I bloodied her lip and blacked her eye before the others came and pulled us apart. We were both expelled for the fight."

"And you came here."

"Only after telling daddy I'd never go back to Cheltenham. Verity only got to go back because she started going for therapy. I didn't think much of coming here at the time but there's no better place for me."

"I'm glad." Kelly murmured, not quite realizing how much emotion had bled through in her voice until it was too late. The feeling of their shared warmth was beginning to make both girls drowsy. Kelly tucked her head into the crook of Belle's shoulder, settling into the familiar scent of her skin and shampoo.

"Funny thing is, I never would've said yes to that girl. Didn't fancy her at all." Belle yawned, her body stretching languidly as she relaxed sleepily in Kelly's arms, unconsciously easing in even closer.

"Not your type eh?" Kelly carefully teased towards more information.

"Hardly," Belle laughed, "It'd be like being into Chloe!"

"Ah, so bubbly blondes aren't your thing. What's your type then?" Kelly's mind was starting to drift. Perhaps, before she fell completely asleep, she could find out if she had any prayer.

"The usual. Tall, dark, dangerous." Belle smirked, her voice fading towards sleep. She rolled to one side, back facing her bedmate, as her breathing got deeper. She managed to execute the maneuver without dislodging the arm around her.

"I'll be sure to put in a good word with Flash." Kelly teased. There was a hint of an answering scoff. She could feel the other girl's stomach muscles vibrate with the sound.

"Or maybe with Andrea?" she quietly pushed a bit more but it was too late. Belle's breathing was deep and even. She was out. Kelly sighed. She'd hoped to get just a bit of a hint for her chances but it wasn't in the cards for tonight. She shifted her body into a comfortably close position, enveloping Belle in her taller frame and letting the feel of the smaller girl's breathing lull her to sleep.


	5. The Big Day

**The Big Day**

Annabelle drifted around consciousness. Her mind hovered somewhere near her body but not wholly inside. As though able to look into the room from outside herself, she saw the sunshine making patterns on the bedspread. She was draped over a body, her face nuzzled into warm skin and soft hair. She was floating on a cloud of essence, wrapped in Kelly's smell and heat.

She loved this dream. It always came in the early morning, torturing her with the closeness of the magnetic beauty right before she startled awake. She had one leg draped over the other girl, tangling their limbs. She could feel her hand wrapped around Kelly's waist, her fingers grazing bare skin where her sleeping shirt had gotten twisted up. All in all, a far more intimate position than her subconscious had managed before and she smiled, instinctively letting her lips explore the closest skin.

Kelly had been awake for a while, going through her own momentary confusion as sunlight beamed down on a body pinning her own. Sometime during the night she'd rolled to her back and managed to drag Belle with her. The younger girl had then seen fit to roll over in her sleep and wrap herself tightly around her bedmate. Kelly had naturally responded by wrapping both arms around her companion. _Looks like we're on the same page in our sleep._

She didn't try to dislodge the sleeping Trinian, just gazed down at what she could see of her serene face. She should've awakened her. But the Head Girl wasn't quite ready to lose the warmth of the embrace. She could get used to the feel of Belle's heartbeat vibrating into her and the way her breath tickled her shoulder. Not a bad way to start the day.

When she felt the fist twitch of fingers she thought it meant Annabelle was waking up. It would be fun to see her reaction when her eyes opened and realized the position they were in. She was always so cute when she blushed and this was going to provoke a delightful crimson. But Annabelle wasn't waking. Her breathing never changed, her eyelids fluttering dreamily. Yet, she was moving. The hand holding Kelly's side began to lightly stroke back and forth, barely grazing her nails over the sensitive skin. Then the breath on her neck felt warmer, softer. Kelly gasped, realizing that Annabelle was kissing her throat.

_This could get awkward._ Kelly bit back a moan as lips tasted down the side of her neck, teasing the pulse point that was throbbing faster with every touch. Heat rushed through her instantly, electrifying her to the toes but somehow pooling right in the pit of her stomach. The hand on her skin was stroking languidly, exploring the contour of each muscle and bone and tracing the edges of her shirt and shorts, barely dipping beneath the elastic.

The faint scrape of teeth on her now hypersensitive skin brought a startled gasp from her lips and she reflexively tightened her grip on Annabelle's nightgown. This brought a hum of approval from the sleeper. Kelly felt the other body shift impossibly closer and became aware of a smoldering heat pressed against her hip. Right between Belle's legs. _Christ, the girl's on fire!_ She moaned when artful lips caught hold of her ear. She was going to explode. She was going to absolutely, bloody combust into a million pieces.

The fingers had never stopped moving on her skin and were tracing further and further down her body, gripping her hip and sliding further behind. If Belle didn't kiss her soon she was going to die. If Belle DID kiss her she'd die but much more happily. She just had to turn her head. That was all it would take to find Annabelle's lips. Just a simple turn. Except she couldn't. She was awake and Belle wasn't. The torture was exquisite but Kelly knew she couldn't participate. The other girl was making it harder and harder. The hand suddenly gripping her rear made her whimper Annabelle's name. She had to wake up. Even if she woke to find herself placing love bites on Kelly's neck and a hand firmly groping her ass, she _had _to wake. Otherwise, in a matter of minutes, she'd be waking up to Kelly pressing her into the mattress and ravishing her skin off. She prayed to any available, conscious force in the universe to save her before she lost the last ounce of her control. Forgetting that the universe likes vague prayers.

"Kelly! C'mon, girl, Miss Fritton's burying Mr. Darcy!" the sharp voice of Chelsea was accompanied by loud pounding on the door. Both bedmates jumped. Jones looked down and saw Belle's eyes wide awake and completely confused. Then gradually she became aware of where her hand was (still in Kelly's shorts) and the taste lingering on her mouth. Jones very nearly lost it when Belle licked her lips, turning a shade of red that could've been a 5 alarm fire.

"Sweet dreams?" Kelly arched a teasing eyebrow. She wanted, desperately, to believe that Belle was subconsciously acting on real desires. The cynic in her wasn't quite convinced. The girl was sleeping next to a warm body, having some obviously exciting dreams. Made sense she'd reach out to whatever was close. The small mercy was that Belle obviously thought Kelly had just woken up as well. She couldn't possibly know that her victim had been awake and enjoying every divine moment.

"Seems like." Belle mumbled, not even raising her eyes as she untangled herself from the other body.

"Kel! You awake?" Chloe took her turn knocking, "No one's seen Belle either!"

Belle chewed her lip, looking askance at the older girl. She didn't want everyone knowing she'd spent the night with the Head Girl. If Posh Totty found out, the whole school would hear about it. There wasn't a force on earth that would convince the St. Trinian's girls _nothing_ had happened. _Well, a little something but it hardly counted then, did it? _Kelly looked away, suppressing her sigh of disappointment. If Belle couldn't even handle the thought of some playful gossip there was no way she'd let the rumors become reality.

"What the hell, girl, you got Flash in there or something?" Peaches called with a playfully teasing voice. Fritton's head shot up at that. The shame vanished into an air of determination. She climbed out of bed and ran her fingers through her curls before smoothing her nightdress. She grabbed the door handle and glanced over her shoulder at Kelly for only a moment. Jones sat up, wondering just what had come over the other girl.

Belle yanked the door open just before Chelsea could begin another round of shouts. She was caught with her fist in midair, mouth hanging open. Just as well since the sight of Belle Fritton in the Head Girl's doorway with obvious bedhead was a jaw-dropping sight. Especially when she looked over Belle's shoulder and saw Kelly still in bed, inscrutable except for a tiny smirk. The girls milling about in the hallway all paused to watch the tableau.

"Flash has never been in this room, Peaches." Annabelle stated unequivocally and strutted straight past her, head high. Kelly's smirk grew to a full grin. _Balls of steel plus some._

Annabelle made her way to the bus. She'd spotted a number of the girls glancing at her while whispering amongst themselves. There were a lot of confused, questioning looks and even more knowing ones. So be it. She'd known this would happen when she walked out of the Head Girl's room this morning. But there was no way she'd regret it now. In fact, she was glad she did it, because Kelly hadn't bothered to correct anyone. The older girl seemed to be enjoying letting everyone jump to conclusions. Belle spotted Taylor near the entrance, trying to interrogate the Head Girl. She smiled when the Chav stomped away in frustration. Kelly caught Belle watching and just winked, the younger girl feeling a happy warmth color her cheeks.

Mounting the first step on the bus (far more dangerous that the simple portal Virgil escorted Dante through) she was instantly confronted with Miss Dickinson having a meltdown. The woman really needed to get some of Beverly's prescriptions before she gave herself a stroke.

"No. Absolutely not. It was bad enough when the driver slipped away to canoodle with the girls on the field trip but you two are _not _driving us." the newest member of the faculty was trying to shoo Tania and Tara away from their positions in the driver's seat. _Who says 'canoodle?'_ Belle sighed. The twins looked up at her beseechingly. They obviously wished she were Kelly but their savior wasn't within sight yet.

"Miss Dickinson," Annabelle put a sympathetic hand on the woman's shoulder, "Have you really thought about what the ride into town would be like if these two didn't have their hands busy?"

The English teacher paused, glancing from Belle's warning face down to the tiny girls. Their eyes were dancing with mischief.

"I think I'd fancy a drink now." Dickinson mumbled in surrender and marched quickly to the absolute back of the bus. Headmistress Fritton was already there, spread across a bench with a flask of Matron's concoctions. No one could stay Teetotal at Trinian's.

"Well done." Kelly's breath in Belle's ear made her shiver. Or maybe it was that signature husky tone to her voice.

"Teachers really are much easier than schoolgirls." she did her best to sound casual. It was the first time they'd spoken to each other since waking up this morning. Kelly just smiled in agreement and moved around her into the bus, dropping onto the front bench. Belle started to walk past her but found her arm caught, a tender grip pulling her into the bench right beside Jones.

She started to question the wisdom of the action. After all, sitting together would just add grist to the already churning mill. Kelly's confident, serene expression silenced her doubts.

"I like having an extra pair of eyes." the Head Girl explained simply, her smile so brilliant it should've been harvested for green energy. She was obviously having fun playing with everyone's heads. Belle settled in for the trip, tuning out the susurration of gossip behind them. The start was a bit bumpy as the twins found their rhythm and decided to go through a fence rather than down the standard road.

Kelly twisted in her seat to chat with Polly, listening attentively to the statistical analysis of which subjects had the highest probability of percentage in the upcoming quiz. Annabelle leaned slightly across the aisle to talk with Celia. Neither girl particularly noticed that their conversations were sprinkled with constant warnings and reminders to the rest of the bus.

"First Years, give Peaches back her glasses. They're no good to us with jelly fingerprints on the lens!"

"Janie, I told you no sharp objects while the bus is moving."

"Taylor, give Andrea back her headphones."

"Andrea, give Taylor back her earrings!"

The two girls took turns shouting orders, perfectly synchronized to catch whatever felonious activity the other missed. Kelly hadn't felt this relaxed in years. Ridiculous since she was about to mount a felony on a national institution. It was just a new experience for her, having a wing. Since about third year all the girls had their niche; specializations that could be utilized and roles that could be counted on. Polly was IT and Tech Support. Andrea was Enforcement. Chelsea was their spy. Taylor was devil's advocate. The Twins had been instantly recognized this year as Demolitions.

Useful as all the girls were - and nothing would get done without each of them - Kelly had never had a right hand before. No Head Girl had. Except Kelly, for the last six weeks, had found Annabelle comfortably slipping into that role. She didn't have to give her orders or seek her out, the girl just always seemed to know what was needed. It was sort of marvelous, having a girl that she knew would never be too far away. Someone that always had her back. It meant that the could relax a bit, on a microscopic level.

"Kel," Belle held up a finger to pause her conversation with Celia, "You might remind the twins we need to be on time today."

Kelly turned to look out the window Belle was looking through. There was a police car not too far ahead in the lane beside them. The bus was starting to drift towards it with a certain, malevolent purpose. The First Years had logged an ungodly number of hours on Grand Theft Auto.

"Oi! Leave the jam sandwich! We need to focus, girls. No high speed car chases!" Kelly snapped the twins back to attention.

"Aw, Kel." they both whined but straightened the bus, huge eyes gazing sadly at their leader.

"Maybe on the way home, yeah?" Jones relented and softened her tone. Both of the small girls grinned and bounced excitedly in their seats. Kelly went to resume her conversation with Polly but noticed Annabelle's bemused expression.

"Something funny, Belle?" she prodded.

"They've really got you 'round their little finger, haven't they?" Belle teased. Even on her introductory tour she'd seen the warm affection in Kelly's face when she gazed at all the First Years. They were the unflappable Head Girl's soft spot.

"Jealous, Miss Fritton?" Kelly smirked, one eyebrow arched in teasing askance.

"Hardly, Miss Jones. I could have you whipped in a week." Belle teased right back. She was finally starting to get the handle on this repartee, dishing just as much as she took. Now if she could just not blush!

"Why wait a week? Religious Studies has a full kit of Spanish Inquisition tools. We could get started tonight." Kelly leaned closer conspiratorially. She could actually feel the brush of Belle's curls against her forehead. They were both ignoring the fact that the whole bus had gone still to listen to the quiet interchange.

"Miss Jones," she gasped dramatically, "Not before the third date! What kind of girl do you think I am?"

"Truthfully, Miss Fritton, I'm beginning to wonder." Kelly's voice dropped a tone lower. They maintained a serious eye contact for a few extra seconds but couldn't hold the act. They both dissolved into laughter. When Kelly regained her composure she passed her eyes over the bus. Everyone immediately launched into complicated and loud "what, us eavesdrop?"-style conversations. Jones shook her head, nothing ever changed. She turned back to Polly and found the Geek staring at her in curiosity.

"What?" Kelly inquired. The redhead look over at Belle - already back in animated conversation with Celia.

"I wouldn't know where to start." Polly shook her head.

Kelly stepped into the changing room in the Trinian's trailer. She'd been trying to get changed for the last 20 minutes amidst constant interruptions. There'd been the Twins fight over who got to carry the explosives versus the detonators. She'd almost got her shirt undone when Peaches and Chloe burst into tears about accessorizing around an earpiece. Then she'd had to run out and stop Andrea from using the power saw to carve a pentagram in the van wall. She wished Belle wasn't already inside the gallery with the other girls. She could use the backup. Or some good strong rope.

After leaving explicit directions that no one was to touch anything loud, sharp or explosive she finally got a few minutes peace behind the curtain. She quickly stripped her school colors and reached for her stealth garb. From the corner of her eye she caught a flash of movement in the mirror. Without moving her head, she scanned the reflection, settling on the tiny camera lens that was peeking through the curtain. Apparently someone was feeling suicidal.

Jones carefully avoided looking directly at the camera as she nonchalantly turned and stretched one side. Her hand punched straight through the curtain and caused a scream as she caught hold of the peeper, dragging them into the changing room.

"Taylor? You perving now?" Kelly demanded, releasing her hold on the Chav's throat. She positioned herself to block any escape route. Head Girl privacy was sacrosanct and there'd better be a damn good excuse for this violation.

"Not half!" Taylor massaged her bruised windpipe, "Andrea bet 20 quid that Belle's a scratcher."

"A what?"

"You know - a bit rough?" Taylor wiggled her own fingernails suggestively. Kelly kept her face inscrutable but sighed inwardly. Playing this game with the girls meant she had to go on defense every now and then. Perhaps it was good Belle wasn't around after all.

"Right. Andrea! Get in here!" Kelly shouted. There were some answering murmurs of confusion and surprise. No one could quite figure why a Head Girl in some stage of undress would summon the Emo. But she came immediately, her face going even more pale beneath her makeup when she saw Kelly Jones in only her underwear. The gothic chic desperately tried to look everywhere except at the exposed girl.

"Take a good look." Kelly spun once, showing off flawless skin - distinctly unmarked.

"Damn. Hang on - did you two even do anything then?" Andrea wasn't about to surrender 20 pounds so easy.

"You said she'd have scratches, Bridezilla. Marks mean money. Now pay me up!"

Taylor shoved Andrea back through the curtain, gearing up for a rant. Kelly just grabbed her undercover kit and began pulling it on.

"They haven't shagged yet, Chav. You ain't won. Double or nothing?" she could hear Andrea arguing over Taylor.

Only as she was lacing up her boots did Kelly pause to wonder if Andrea might end up being right. She sure as hell hoped to find out. Soon.

The dressing trailer was rocking side to side as the girls screamed and bounced around each other. They'd done it. Some were celebrating the successful caper, others the win on TV but everyone had something to shout over. Kelly had dropped to one knee and enveloped the twins in a giant hug. She'd never come so close to crying as those moments when they waited for the smoke to clear from the explosion. Those two were absolutely irreplaceable. The Posh Totty were regaling everyone with the amazing mental processes that had led to their victory. Andrea and Taylor were fighting - happily. Kelly surveyed her schoolmates, huge smile beaming on them all as she turned . . . .and found herself facing Annabelle.

"Belle! You were aces! Can't believe you brained Verity!" several other girls swarmed Fritton, enveloping her in a group hug that must've felt like a friendly octopus molestation. Belle smiled, laughed, blushed and made quiet, self-deprecating comments as she tried to untangle herself, only to be caught up by another congratulator. She twisted and writhed from one squeeze to the next until she suddenly found herself in a familiar embrace. Kelly hugged her just a bit tighter than the others, hoping the strong hold would still the trembling she'd been feeling through her muscles all night. The only thing silencing her self-consciousness was the strength with which Belle returned the hold.

"That's twice now you've saved me." the Head Girl murmured quietly into her hair. The raucous celebrations all around them meant no one paid heed to their quiet moment. She'd almost screamed out when Belle went off to challenge Verity; after the Twins' explosion it was the most terrifying moment of the night for her.

"Three times, if you count distracting the minister." Fritton smiled. Kelly couldn't see her face but could hear the smile in her voice.

"Guess I'd better figure out a way to repay soon. Any ideas?" Jones leaned back just enough to see the other girl's face, refusing to release hold of her body. Belle bit her lip thoughtfully, eyes sparkling with an answer.

"Ask me again when this is all over." she smiled. Even though everyone was rejoicing like the job was done there were still a few last details - like getting the actual money. Kelly nodded in agreement. They still had work to do.

"You two gonna sleep like that? The sleeping bags are all singles." Chelsea teased from behind Kelly, not quite loud enough for anyone else to hear. Annabelle marveled to see the Head Girl actually color at the comment. They were still basically wrapped around each other. Belle blushed, looking away and starting to release her grip. Except Kelly didn't let go right away.

"Nah, wouldn't want to make the other girls jealous, would we?" Jones smirked, the blush vanishing. She gave Belle's ass a solid, obvious squeeze before releasing her with a salacious wink to the Posh.

Belle couldn't even speak after that, just stumbled through the motions of getting her bag spread in a space on the floor of the trailer. She slid into the makeshift bed, her face still burning - albeit not as much as her bum was tingling. It took a while for the rest of the girls to bed down for the night, still charged with adrenaline and joy.

A night sleeping on the floor of the trailer, then tomorrow Kelly would slip off with Flash (Belle felt a familiar rush of bile in her stomach at the thought) while Fritton herself led the 'recovery' of the painting. It would be one last, glorious nail to her father's coffin - his own daughter's face on the telly returning the very painting he'd tried to flog. She smiled happily at the thought. Only as she was drifting towards sleep did a familiar smell tell her that Kelly had bedded down right beside her.


	6. Victory

**Victory**

Annabelle danced in the pounding throng. It was so different from the first time she'd been at a St. Trinian's party. It wasn't that the party had changed - same band, same music, same bartender (Anoushka with Beverly helping). It was Belle that had changed. She'd done a perfect wallflower impersonation back then, staying to the back of the room and just watching in wonder. Now she was out in the middle of the floor, feeling the beat race through her whole body like a new heartbeat. Hell, she didn't even care that Chelsea made a joke of grinding on her for a song. The self consciousness was gone, the superiority, the distance. It had all washed away in the absolutions of St. Trinian. She sang along with the anthem, proud of every word.

She saw Kelly make her entry, bottle held high as she led the chant. Damn. Belle lost the rhythm of the song for a moment, staring at the raven goddess. She was coming closer too. The Head Girl sauntered, danced and rocked across the crowded dance floor, winding between the gyrating press of bodies. _Christ, she's coming over._ Belle tried to concentrate on the music, on dancing, on the ecstasy of untamed youth she'd been experiencing just moments ago. It was still there, but was being overwhelmed by a far stronger surge of excitement.

Then Kelly was right there beside her, dancing with her, one hand on her hip and a whole new ecstasy flooded her being. They danced in symbiosis, sometimes losing contact to turn and move with others but still in sync, still able to come back to each other at the same moment. The songs shifted around them, happy rebellion, raging youth, gleeful menace, confident seduction; song after song wrapped them in its embrace. The beat stayed hot and hard but the mood was shifting towards a more sensual air (no one stopped to wonder why this should happen at an all same-sex party). Kelly had discarded her empty bottle and had both hands on Belle, tugging her in close until they moved as one body to the writhing melody. Her arms unconsciously wrapped around the taller girl's neck, enjoying the feel of tracing her fingertips through short, black hair.

Belle could barely notice anything other than the contact of fingers gripping her hips. The feel of the lithe body pressed against her. She looked up and found herself falling into bottomless black eyes, plummeting through the layers of unspoken words and desires. Her feet stopped, her whole body coming to a halt as she clutched at Kelly's body, trying to stop her descent into that deep color.

"You all right?" said eyes widened in concern. Belle swallowed, trying to clear the lust out of her throat before she spoke.

"Yeah, just need a drink!" she smiled brightly. If the other girl knew she was lying she didn't let on, just followed her to the bar.

"Another? You are breaking record, Belle!" Anoushka husked as she poured the DVR. Annabelle may not be able to hold whiskey worth a damn but she'd discovered she had an endless capacity for Vodka and Red Bull, even when mixed by the Russian's generous hand. Kelly got the same and they lingered by the bar, watching the party thrash out in every direction. This night would go down in history. Jones had 10 quid on 5 to 1 that none of Sixth Form would be walking the halls tomorrow. Crawling maybe, but not a soul would be upright.

"We in some kind of race?" Kelly's eyebrow arched as she saw Belle down her drink in one breath.

"Yeah, first one drunk gets a free ride to bed." Fritton smirked, passing her glass back to Anoushka for a refill.

"So, if I stay sober I get to slip you away to a mattress?" Jones' smile was punctuated by the tip of her tongue curling in the corner of her lip. The predatory expression might've been a joke but it made Belle shiver. The flirting had been escalating for days now and tonight it was accelerating by the minute.

"Miss Jones, you just want to get me back in your bed!" Annabelle laughed to cover the way her voice trembled at the thought. She leaned forward, showing off her figure in the cleavage-enhancing vest of her uniform.

"Only if I get another wake up call like the last one." Kelly shifted in closer, the cocky smile not leaving her lips. Was that a bit of a hitch in her breathing? Belle could swear she'd felt a fluctuation in the soft sigh of breath against her face. She wanted to reply with something smart and flirtatious. She couldn't because her brain was screaming at her - all her senses electrified with the same, overwhelming signal: _Kelly._ The sound of her sultry voice, the sight of those desire-laden eyes and pouting lips, the heat radiating off her body, the smell of perfume, the taste of her breath and skin so close._ Kelly._

She knew Kelly Jones wanted to kiss her every bit as much as she wanted to be kissed. But they both knew that they couldn't - wouldn't_ -_ _here_. Not with all the girls and teachers and _people_ everywhere. If it was ever going to happen, it'd be tonight but it simply couldn't be here! Annabelle snapped. She grabbed hold of the loose ends of Kelly's tie in one hand and dragged her from the room.

She made her way quickly through the winding corridors, moving further and further from the beat. She had Kelly in tow by her tie, the Head Girl keeping up with a quick walk, silent in her curiosity. Annabelle knew where she had to go. It was where her head had been sent reeling and she'd never fully recovered. The place where all this started. She'd replayed that first day in her mind so many times. She strode into the deserted main hall, determined they would finally finish what they'd begun during that first meeting. Finish it right.

She spun around, pressing her back against the wall. She gave a hard tug on Kelly's tie, forcing the girl to catch herself with her palms against the wall, effectively caging Belle with her own body.

"Been nurturing an aggressive streak, have we, Fritton?" Kelly teased but Belle could see the way her eyes flickered over her face, continually trailing back down to her lips.

"Shut up and kiss me, Jones." Belle growled, startled by the sound of her own voice.

Kelly smirked. She could definitely get to like this side of the formerly shy schoolgirl. But she didn't entirely like being given orders. She obeyed, brushing her lips over Belle's for the briefest moment before pulling back. The younger girl's mouth followed, seeking to hold the contact but Kelly leaned away, skillfully staying just beyond range. Jones loved that Belle's eyes had shut the moment she'd felt breath on her lips, but now the hazel color was flashing at her angrily.

"Damn it, Kelly!" she fisted the Head Girl's shirt.

"Ask nice, Annabelle." Jones arched one superior brow, masking her own thrill at the feel of the hands clutching at her.

"Please." Belle whispered. Kelly leaned in again, close enough that Belle could feel her words.

"Please what?" she lingered a breath from touching.

"Kiss me again, Kelly. Please." Belle begged. Her irritation had vanished. The aggression was likewise gone, washed away in a need far more pure. Jones felt her temperature spike as the plea echoed over her skin. She wouldn't be able to play this game long. She pressed forward again, this time lingering on the touch of the other girl's lips. Soft caresses traded back and forth, Kelly bringing her hands in to cradle Belle's face as she explored the flavor and heat of her kiss.

Kelly could feel herself falling into the embrace and deliberately pulled back once more. She watched Belle's dazed expression. Her eyes fluttered slowly open and the golden green had all but vanished in the swirling desire. Belle licked her lips, the pink gloss absorbed in a darker crimson flush.

"Again." she could barely force the word out. She didn't have to say 'please,' her eyes were screaming it. Kelly relented, capturing the waiting mouth again, ending the game. She darted her tongue across Belle's lower lip, receiving immediate entry and she could feel the moan in her chest, unable to discern whose is was. Belle had an arm wrapped tight around her shoulders, clutching at her neck. The other was gripping her waist, fingers clenching in her shirt and working it loose from her skirt. The first touch of fingers against the bare flesh of her spine felt like electricity.

Jones only gave up exploring Belle's mouth when her lungs began to ache. She reluctantly broke the kiss, gasping but staying as close to her skin as possible. Annabelle obviously felt the same, lips working feverishly over Kelly's cheek, jaw, neck and throat; sprinkling kisses between each lungful of air. Every breath a whisper of her name. Kelly's head was reeling, all her senses overwhelming and overriding her brain.

Cameras. She struggled to focus amidst the sensual onslaught advancing over her skin. Even if all the Geeks had passed out, she didn't doubt Polly had left the cameras on record.

"Belle we have to - we can't - we have," she struggled to get out a coherent thought but Annabelle had found her pulse point and was mounting a diligent assault with lips, tongue and teeth, "Christ! We have to go upstairs. _Now!"_

There was a protesting sound from Belle but Kelly was able to pull her backwards, moving towards the stairs. Walking backwards up a staircase, in an intimate embrace, with lips biting at her ear, Kelly took a passing moment to think that anyone who _did_ see this would be dashed impressed. It should be an Olympic event. They had to pause every few steps for another exploring kiss, hands moving more freely each time, sounds getting louder. By the time they were at the top of the stairs they couldn't break apart to save a life. The tangled entity that was their all-encompassing need moved them like a pinball through the corridor. From stair rail to wall, wall to doorway, doorway to banister, banister back to wall and finally landing them against a familiar door.

Kelly slapped her hand against the door, struggling to find the doorknob she knew was buried somewhere within reach. Fastening on the cold metal she twisted and felt them both falling into the room. She almost corrected their balance but at the critical moment Belle's hand slipped under the front of her shirt, grazing inside the lace of her bra. They collapsed to the floor in a flurry of limbs, both of them yelping in surprise before dissolving into laughter.

"Five feet," Kelly looked at their distance from the bed, "We couldn't make it five bloody feet?"

"Are you kidding?" Belle hovered over Kelly, "I want a medal for making it all the way up here. I nearly gave in on the fifth step!"

As lips descended on her again, Kelly had just enough clear thought to slam the door shut with her foot. The rest of the night had much in common with an auto accident, drug trip and roller coaster: all sound and action blurring together into an indecipherable mass yet every single moment seared into an eternal memory.

Each girl only had one conscious thought during the exercises of the night. Belle's came when she felt her fingers slowly releasing clenched bed sheets. _How did we make it to the bed?_

For Kelly it was with a sharp sensation dragging down her shoulder, crossing the fine line between pain and pleasure and making her groan as nails dug into her skin. _Andrea just won 20 quid._

When Kelly felt the late morning sun warming her face she had a brief moment of confusion. Why was she still asleep so late? Why was there no noise from the rest of the school? Why did her arm feel so heavy? It was when she tested the movement of her arm and realized it was pinned beneath a body that memory flooded back into her, spreading a contented smile over her lips. She and Belle had fallen asleep (collapsed) side by side, facing each other, around 4 am. The young brunette was still curled against her, the head of curls tucked beneath her chin.

The previous evening played through her mind and Kelly could only shiver. Annabelle had definitely been a prize worth waiting for. Who knew innocence could be so deceptive? She pressed a kiss to the top of the brown curls, feeling the body stirring against her. _Time to face the music._

Kelly was a deep seated realist. She fully knew that Belle was buzzed (heavily) last night and no matter how much the desire had been mutual, waking up in another girl's bed might be a bit traumatic for her. So, would she remember? Would she plead alcohol amnesia or excessive loss of inhibitions? Was this to be a one time thing and if so, how would they salvage their friendship? It all depended on Belle's reaction when she woke. Kelly kept her eyes closed as she felt Fritton twitch and move.

The touch of lips against her shoulder brought an involuntary sigh from Kelly. Belle's mouth was tracing the exact pattern she'd made last night, kissing every spot her teeth had marked. One hand was tracing gently over the contours of her naked waist and hip, the barest brush of fingertips raising gooseflesh before gripping tight. Déjà vu. Kelly wondered if Belle had such sensual dreams every morning or if it was only when she was in the Head Girl's bed.

The caresses were trailing up her neck, teasing her ear before biting gently at her lobe and Kelly gasped. It really wasn't fair. She couldn't let Belle do these things in her sleep when she didn't even know what had happened last night. Summoning the last of her strength (resisting the urge to tighten her grip around the other girl's body) Kelly opened her eyes.

The first thing she saw was hazel flecked with green and gold. Belle's eyes were smiling at her, watching her reaction. Jones shifted back, taking in the fully alert and awake face staring at her. As if to confirm that she truly was aware of where she was and what she was doing, Belle's hand caressed Kelly's ass, pulling her hips closer as she leaned in to kiss the pulse throbbing by her throat. Not a one time thing then.

"Christ. I thought you were still asleep again!" Kelly moaned, returning the embrace. Belle laughed, a vibration that radiated directly into Jones' body.

"I have a confession to make," she smiled at the Head Girl, "I was awake the other morning. I just wanted to see how far you'd let me go."

Kelly paused, absorbing that thought. How far would she have let her go?

"I'm going to kill the Totties." she announced finally before capturing Belle's lips in her own.

After some morning cardiovascular exercise (read: shagging) Belle emerged from the bed and stretched. It was just past noon and they'd both worked up a more than substantial appetite.

"I'm famished, let's go find some food." she reached for a robe, only to have Kelly grab her hand and pull her back to the bed.

"We could just stay put - I have a kettle and some biscuits here." she offered with a mysterious smile.

"Or I could just pop down to the lunch room. They're sure to have some tuck out." Annabelle looked up at her captor in mild confusion.

"Yes, but if you do that I'm out 50 quid."

"What did you bet 50 pounds on?" Belle raised up on her elbows.

"I only bet 10, but on 5 to 1 that none of the 6th form would be in the halls today. Not walking about anyway. I'd take the same bet at 100 to 1. That party was epic."

"So you're saying we have to stay here, in your room, all day?" Belle raised a skeptical brow. Jones felt a moment of doubt but didn't let it show.

"Unless you have some more pressing engagement, Fritton." it was one of her only tells: she used Belle's surname only when she wasn't completely certain of herself or the situation. Annabelle had already memorized that tiny, telling cue.

"Nothing more pressing than you, Jones," Belle arched deliberately against the older girls' body, "But if I'm to be captive all day, you will have to feed me."

Kelly grinned, kissing the teasing smile once before slipping off the bed. She rummaged in her cupboard and emerged with an electric kettle, bottled water, a tin of tea and a box of biscuits. There were definite perks to being (and dating) Head Girl.

Annabelle pulled on her underwear and blouse, just for cover from the cool air. She left the buttons open, enjoying the effect on Kelly as they sipped tea side by side on the bed. Conversation between the two had always been easy and this was the longest they'd gone without interruption. Usually they were lucky to get about 7 minutes before a Chav came shouting complaints, the twins exploded something or a fight broke out in the dorms. Not to mention the flirtation always escalated by the minute until both would forget what they were actually discussing. With the sexual tension finally diffused (for the moment) it was easier to fall into a relaxed, companionable chat. They talked about family (Belle's mother was dead, Kelly's divorced) schools, friends and enemies, the past and - eventually - the future.

"It's your last year, where do you go from here?" Belle settled back on one elbow, facing Kelly as she sipped from her mug. The black tea could use milk but it was caffeine and this morning (with a mild hangover and massive sleep deprivation gnawing at her brain) that was the only criterion.

"Well, Oxford is out," Kelly smiled, "Much too strict with their dress code, you know."

"So I'd heard. Shame, Posh Totty could do wonders for their campus." Annabelle deadpanned right back, earning a soft, throaty laugh from the other girl.

"St. Trinian's Head Girls are a high demand commodity. We get recruited quite fast. I've had a few offers, legal and otherwise." Kelly shrugged.

"Not committing yet?"

"Just waiting for the right one." there was something to the way her breathing paused after the innocent statement that made Belle blush. Were they still talking about jobs? Kelly must've sensed her discomfort because she cleared her throat, dispelling the moment.

"What about you? What comes after Trinian's for you?" Jones nibbled the edge of a hard biscuit.

"You mean if Daddy hasn't killed me or cut me off? Not too sure. I can't really imagine actually surviving another year here, just sort of assumed I'd go missing a few months before finishing A Levels."

"Only if you tick off the First Years. Keep them on your side and no one can touch you," Kelly confided the ultimate secret for navigating a school of anarchy, "What do you want to do?"

"Really? Travel. I grew up with daddy shooting off all over the world to pick out art, or receiving these packages with exotic postage and markings and I always wanted to see the places for myself. He once got a statue from Bali and I must've spent hours just staring at the stamps."

Kelly watched the way Belle's eyes went unfocused and dreamy, thinking of worlds past and distant. She could see her standing in a hundred airports, one beaten duffel slung over her shoulder as she ventured off to yet another foreign destination. Belle could explore a jungle in Peru, a market in Mombasa, a temple in Singpaore and a club in New York and look just as at home as she did at this moment, half naked in bed. She would do the same with every other culture as she had with Trinian's - observe, understand and adapt. It was the thought of the dauntless Fritton going off and doing these things _without her_ that made a dull pain nestle into Kelly's ribs.

"You should've been here when we went to Cameroon. The headhunters made us honorary tribesmen." Jones smiled, forcing thoughts of the future away.

"I thought I recognized Chelsea's touch with the hair on one skull." Belle laughed, reaching for the last almond biscuit at the same moment as Kelly. This immediately sidetracked the conversation into a playful argument over who had first dibs, which further devolved into a wrestling match.

If the tea mugs hadn't been empty it could've been quite hazardous but they landed with dull thuds on the floor and no more than slight black drips hit the carpet. The pillows were hurled aside in attempts at disarming each other and the sheets were quickly spooling to the floor. The plate was eventually flung through the window - a hail of glass shards showering to the garden below and neither girl could be bothered to care.

Belle stared at the beautiful face pinned beneath her. She wasn't entirely sure how she'd gained the upper hand but she held Kelly's hands fast to the bed and grinned breathless triumph. Her raven bob was in complete disarray, her makeup had vanished in the night's sleep, the only coloring on her cheeks the natural flush from Belle's body against her. Fritton stared. She never would've thought it possible for Kelly to be even more beautiful than on the first day they met. She leaned down to taste the parted lips. _How did I get so bloody lucky?_

They only realized the sun had gone down when the broken window let in the cool evening air. They'd reassembled the bed a few times but even huddled beneath the blankets they could feel a night breeze chilling the room. A whole day whiled away in talk, music and snogging. If there were ever a St. Trinian's holiday that was how it should be celebrated. Kelly covered the hole in the window with plastic and tape. She was in her sleeping kit - tangled, removed and restored several times throughout the day. Belle was propped up against the pillows, scanning through the playlists on Kelly's Iphone. She could really get to like these girl grunge groups.

Jones had been expecting the bang on the door, smiling when she saw Annabelle jump. She opened it just a crack, no reason to give any snoops in the hall more gossip than they deserved. Andrea stood in the hallway, as ever caught in a mood of sullen irritation.

"Right, 's after sundown. That's 50 quid to you," the emo pulled a wad of cash from her pocket and handed it to the Head Girl, "Is Belle in there?"

"Why? You need her?" Kelly demurred.

"Yeah, I do! C'mon, Belle, that's 50 pounds you owe me!" Andrea thumped the door a few more times with her open hand. Before Kelly could argue, Fritton pulled the door open a little wider. The younger girl rummaged in her uniform pocket and pulled out the appropriate notes, handing them over without a word. Andrea thumbed through the wad, then just cocked one disdainful brow at the two of them before vanishing down the hall in her best impression of a wraith.

"What was that about?" Kelly turned to Belle as the door shut.

"I asked Andrea to make that bet with you - about no one being up and about today." Annabelle admitted, looking at her feet.

"Did you now? That keen for my company?" Jones invaded her personal space, forcing her eyes up to her face.

"That goes without saying," Belle smirked, "But I also happened to bet Polly that I could keep you in bed all day today. 20 quid on 10 to 1."

"You conniving little minx," Jones gaped, realizing she'd been expertly played, "When did you hatch this darling plot?"

"Yesterday before the party. If I couldn't get you to kiss me last night, Kel, then we both know it would never happen at all."

"So you seduced me for 200 quid?" Kelly leaned against door, putting on her best 'pissed temptress' expression.

"Think I took unfair advantage, Miss Jones?" Annabelle leaned forward, fingers teasing around the collar of her sleeping top. Kelly shivered at the slight touch against her skin. They'd barely been out of contact for more than 2 minutes the whole day, how could such a simple touch still be so electrifying?

"I was intoxicated and vulnerable, you know. Makes you quite the predator."

"Then I must've learned from the best," Belle smiled and kissed a pattern on Kelly's cheek, "But for the record, I was after the same thing last night as today. For weeks past and months to come I want you, Kelly Jones. The bet was just to prove I know you."

"We'd better get that cash from Polly before she figures out you duped her." Jones struggled to keep her hands at her sides when all she really wanted was to run them up the skin of Belle's back and crush her close against herself.

"I'd rather have you right now than the money." Belle's whisper in her ear broke that restraint completely.


End file.
